Short answer：Owning three properties before forty is not a universal financial goal. Unit count does not establish financial health; total debt, net cash flow and concentration matter.
Add the full cost of every unit
Include deposits, transaction costs, vacancy, repairs and loans in one household statement. Gross rent across several flats can conceal simultaneous repayments and repair levies.
Use affordability conditions
Examples include maintaining reserves or avoiding reliance on a sale to fund near-term education. Re-run scenarios before each purchase. Missing an arbitrary age or unit-count target can still be consistent with a sound plan.
Before deciding
- Prepare property and household cash-flow statements
- Check location and tenant concentration
- Reconfirm lending terms before additional debt
Sources and method
Sources support the specific rules described. Checklists and hypothetical calculations are editorial explanations, not measured market results or individual approvals.
Revision：Removed unsupported experience, case outcomes and statistics; corrected the topic-specific rules and limitations described above.
Scope：General information only, not personalised legal, tax, immigration, admissions or investment advice.